Rapp Surprise Winner Of The Daytona 200 By Honda
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Steve Rapp scored one of the biggest upset wins in the history of the Daytona 200 By Honda on Saturday. The 35-year-old rider from Manhattan Beach, Calif., rode the No.15 Attack Kawasaki ZX-6R to victory over his teammate Ben Attard of Australia.

Floridian Michael Barnes, of Boca Raton, Fla., was third on a Team M4 EMGO Suzuki.

"It's unbelievable," said a jubilant Rapp, whose previous best result in the 200 was fifth in 1999. "I backed off so much on the last few laps. I would have never forgiven myself had I run out of gas. On the last lap I was so nervous. I feel like a different person. This is the biggest day of my life."

Rapp first took the lead on Lap 20, and with the exception of pit sequences, held onto the point for the rest of the 68-lap event and took the checkered flag with a 21.951-second margin of victory.

It marked the first victory for Kawasaki in the prestigious race since 1995 and it's also the first time a non-factory rider has won the Daytona 200 By Honda since John Ashmead in the 1989 motorcycle classic.

The favored factory Hondas of pole winner and five-time Daytona 200 By Honda winner Miguel Duhamel and last year's winner Jake Zemke had fuel problems on Lap 21 before the first pit stop.